In a meeting with lawmakers yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that for the government to truly demonstrate its ability to crackdown on gangster and money politics it should not cower from public representatives who are widely known for their corruption.
"The crackdown on gangsters and criminal organizations should reach those individuals, so that the public will be able to believe in the government," Chen was quoted as saying by DPP lawmaker Chang Ching-fang (張清芳).
"If the government can keep these individuals from participating in the elections, or ensure they do not win, then we can say that we have been successful."
While Chen did not specify which lawmakers he was referring to, Chang said that Chen's comment referred to individuals like Lo Fu-chu (羅福助), the spiritual leader of the Tiendaomeng Gang (天道盟), Lin Ming-yi (林明義) and Wu Jzer-yuan (伍澤元).
DPP lawmakers also urged the president not to cooperate with such individuals even if it might help to temporarily stabilize the political situation or to gain a majority in the legislature.
"The main policy of the DPP is to oppose money and gangster politics and to lead this reform and those people are the target of our reform," Chen was quoted as saying.
"It would be impossible to cooperate with them. I believe that in this year's legislative elections Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) will be very successful in his efforts to crackdown on vote-buying."
During meetings with DPP lawmakers this week, Chen has stressed several times that the government will never cooperate with such individuals.
The DPP is expected to capture 85 seats in the year-end elections. With that number of seats in the Legislative Yuan, the ruling party would need another 35 seats to gain a solid majority. There are 225 seats in the legislature, of which the DPP currently holds 67.
Asked by DPP lawmakers who the DPP's partner would be after the year-end elections, Chen did not elaborate, lawmakers said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS